The Gardens and the Nile by E.V. Lucas
John Hanning Speke is commemorated by a red granite column in Kensington Gardens near Lancaster Gate, inscribed "In Memory of Speke. Victoria Nyanza and the Nile. 1864," a monument that puzzles the nurses, children, and parents of Bayswater and Kensington who pass it without knowing who Speke was or what he did. The piece sets out to answer that question. Speke was born on May 4, 1827, at Jordans, near Ilchester, in Somersetshire, the son of a captain in the 14th Dragoons. Raised for a military career, he entered the army in 1844 at age seventeen and went to the Punjab in India, where he fought in several battles, rose to lieutenant, and spent his free time exploring the Himalayas, hunting, and collecting rare plants and fossils. After ten years in India, Speke went to Africa in 1854 to pursue his ambition of exploring its unknown interior. The Crimean War interrupted this plan, and he volunteered for service there before returning to Africa in 1856, this time with the traveller Sir Richard Burton, famed for his disguised pilgrimage to Mecca. Together Burton and Speke set out to trace the river Nile to its source in the Mountains of the Moon. The synopsis explains the general nature of river sources, using the Thames and the underground London stream called the West Bourne as illustrations, before turning to the hardships of exploring uncharted country: absence of maps, uncertain native reception, fever, and dangerous wild animals. Illness eventually forced Burton to give up, and Speke continued alone. The two parted at Kazé on July 9, 1858. Speke pressed on with thirty-five native followers and six weeks of supplies, and on August 3 he discovered a vast lake, which he named Victoria Nyanza after his Queen, "Nyanza" meaning a piece of water. He then returned to England to report his discovery. In 1860 Speke set out again, marching from Zanzibar through Uganda back toward Victoria Nyanza to explore it fully. He again suffered illness and encountered native kings who were not entirely friendly, but on July 28, 1862, he reached the head of the lake, where the water that becomes the Nile falls over a cataract he named Ripon Falls. Speke telegraphed news of this to England, and upon landing at Southampton in 1863 he was welcomed as a hero and celebrated as the most famous traveller of his day. Not everyone accepted that the Nile began at Ripon Falls, however; Burton and others published rival theories. Speke agreed to defend his findings in a public discussion at Bath in September 1864, but on the morning of that meeting, while out partridge-shooting, he accidentally shot himself and died, aged thirty-seven. The account closes by noting that the monument in Kensington Gardens should now recall to viewers the great inland sea of Victoria Nyanza and the Nile beginning its course from it toward the Mediterranean.
By E.V. Lucas · First published 1912 · Genre: Biography, Historical Non-fiction, Adventure · 2,007 words
First lines
THE STORY OF SPEKE
In Kensington Gardens, close to Lancaster Gate, there rises from the grass beside the path leading direct to "Physical Energy" a column of red granite, bearing the words "In Memory of Speke. Victoria Nyanza and the Nile. 1864. " Anyone curious enough to stand for a while near this column and listen to the nurses and children who pass would hear some strange suggestions as to why the column is there, and who or what Speke was; but for the most part the answer to the question is: "I don't know," or, "How should I know? " or, "Inquire of your pa"; or, by the more daring, "Speke was a great man."
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Genres
- Biography — The work is fundamentally a biographical account of John Hanning Speke's life, achievements, and exploration of Africa, structured around his discoveries and personal journey.
- Historical Non-fiction — The text documents actual historical events, real people (Burton, Speke), and genuine geographical discoveries with factual accuracy and historical detail.
- Adventure — Central to the narrative are tales of exploration through unknown territories, encounters with hostile natives, fever, wild beasts, and the inherent perils of African exploration.
- Educational Literature — The work is explicitly instructional, explaining geographical concepts, river systems, exploration methods, and historical context in an accessible manner designed to inform readers.
Tags
travel writing · Egypt · essay collection · Nile River · botanical · landscape description · nature writing · cultural observation · historical narrative · Mediterranean · ancient civilization · garden design
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The Gardens and the Nile is listed on Textopian as an essay by E.V. Lucas, dated 1912 CE.
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- Work type: Essay
- Author: E.V. Lucas
- Date: 1912 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Biography, Historical Non-fiction, Adventure, Educational Literature, Geography
- Length: 2,007 words
- Structure: 1 section, 33 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
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- Work identity for The Gardens and the Nile by E.V. Lucas
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